


let’s have a heart to heart. here’s mine, and here’s a knife.

by spock



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Time, Inspired by Welcome to Night Vale, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-13
Updated: 2013-12-13
Packaged: 2018-01-04 12:21:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1080955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spock/pseuds/spock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new man comes into town one day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	let’s have a heart to heart. here’s mine, and here’s a knife.

Sidney's late to the town meeting. It'd been called at the last minute, but he's used to things springing up at the last minute in a town like Pittsburgh. He's always been able to get where he needs to be promptly, more often than not with time to spare.

Except this time, of course.

He'd been questioning The Faceless Old Woman who secretly lives inside his home to see if she'd hidden his jar of peanut butter — she hadn't, or, at least that's what Sid thinks she'd been trying to say, which means that jerk Alexander Ovechkin probably had something to do with its sudden disappearance — when his phone chimed with a text from Beau, one of the station's two new interns, alerting him that there had been a town meeting called and that he needed to be there to cover it.

Sid had hurried into his garage, sandwich-situation forgotten, only to find that all the matter outside of his house had disappeared. It most certainly wasn't Wednesday, because he'd already checked twice before earlier in the day just to make sure, so he'd had to deal with _that_.

As he rushes in through the door of the assembly hall he sees that all seats are taken, standing room in the back all that's left. Ovechkin is sitting in the seat Sidney always — always — sits in, right in the front row next to the podium, and when their eyes catch across the dim and crowded room Ovechkin smirks before looking away.

 _Such_ a jerk.

Sidney settles against the back wall, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He hears the crackle and hiss that signals sound equipment being turned on, the feedback of a live mic more recognizable than his own heartbeat at this stage in his life.

The world's most perfect man leaps up the steps and takes center stage, hands gripping the wooden sides of the podium so tight that his knuckles press flush against the skin encasing them. He opens his mouth, begins to speak, and Sidney falls in love.

⁂

"—and so, listeners, after I was done asking follow-up questions concerning his announcement for today's broadcast, I started to say, casually, 'So, Evgeni—' and he cut me off, which normally would be very rude, but he had the _cutest_ look on his already perfect face, so I didn't mind. Anyway, he cut me off and said in his rich, wonderfully accented voice, 'Can call me Geno.' I was so surprised that he wanted to move on to nicknames this quickly in our friendship! Remember listeners, this was the first and only time we've ever met! Although I hope it won't be the last.

"I wanted to play it cool, so I asked in a roundabout sort of way, 'Are you sure you don't want me to call you Evgeni, Evgeni?' He shook his head, making that adorable face again, so I told him, 'Then it's only fair you call me Sid", and, listeners, there are no words to describe how perfect the smile he gifted upon me was. Only inarticulate gargling and nonsensical chanting could do it justice, but it's not the third Tuesday of the month, so obviously I cannot perform those acts for you without risking re-education by the Sheriff's Secret Police. But I'll tell you what guys, it was so absolutely radiant that I'm tempted to do it anyway."

⁂

Evgeni's the new head coach of Pittsburgh High School's hockey team, the Penguins. He'd been hired on after the old coach had been taken away for re-education.

Everyone had assumed that the old coach would be back, so his disappearance wasn't fretted over too much. Five days tops, they'd figured. However, Sheriff Shanahan had said that his misdeeds had lead to a permanent banning from their town with no hope of ever returning, and that they should start looking for a replacement. He'd declined to give further comments on the matter, so all Sid had to go on was the vague and menacing explanation video the Sheriff's Department had released. The coach before _him_ had been re-educated for what Sid thinks to be the same crime, but his sentence hadn't been nearly as harsh.

Regardless, everyone agreed that it was lucky his banishment had happened over the summer because it meant the team had enough time to find a new coach.

During that same summer, the team's starting goalie had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Roberto had been fine — more than fine, actually. He developed super strength and his reflexes had greatly improved, so much so that he was selected to represent the country in U-18's at worlds, where they wound up winning gold.

The Penguins brought Geno over from Russia right as training camp had started, which is the only reason Sidney has for why they hadn't met before. During the regular season and subsequent playoffs, Sid does his best to be at all home games, but Station Management assigns one of the interns to cover camp and the preseason.

Geno had called an emergency town meeting because Roberto had shown up to practice that night with a second head. A second head that happened to be much more attractive and intelligent than Roberto; he goes by Cory. While Roberto hadn't seemed concerned about his new head situation — put out, sure, especially since everyone instantly and _constantly_ commented on how Cory was the better, ginger version of Roberto — it had completely freaked Geno out, thus the impromptu meeting.

⁂

Sometimes it feels like he and Geno are having two completely different conversations.

“Yinzer’s, sometimes I worry that our dear beloved Geno isn’t really listening to me. We exchanged numbers and he texts me often, but it's like he doesn’t get what I _mean_. He’ll send something like ‘ _hear writing on paper illegal, is true?????_ ’ and I’ll answer him, because I know he’s new to town and maybe things are probably different in Russia, but afterwards I’ll ask if he wants to hang out when we're both done with work, and he'll ignore me! Who does that? Do you think it's because English isn't his first language, and he's still learning?"

Sidney sighs, leaning back from the microphone as he closes his eyes and tries to calm himself down. "Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. Now for a word from our sponsor—"

⁂

It's the first time Geno's asked to see him outside of work, their first face-to-face meeting since that fateful town hall gathering that brought them together, and Sidney can't even enjoy it. Geno's given him seats right on the glass, behind the home bench for the opening game of the season. Normally this would be everything he'd ever want in life — hockey, Geno, hockey-and-Geno together — but what would otherwise be the most perfect moment of his life-to-date has been ruined thanks to Kaner.

Kaner the Barber, who Geno had gone to this morning without mentioning it to Sid. He's never had a problem with Kaner before, goes to him to get his own hair cut, even, but Geno's hair had already been perfect, just like the rest of him. Kaner the Barber, who's horrible judgement not only failed himself this time, as it often does, but the whole community too, because he hadn't just cut Geno's perfect, wonderful hair, but he'd gone so far as to give him a — a —

A mullet.

Not a single person had thought to warn Sid as he'd made his way into the rink. He'd shown up expecting to find Geno exactly as he'd left him a few weeks prior, only to find Pittsburgh's most treasured and valued citizen, tampered with. Now every time that Geno turns around to peer over his shoulder and smiles his flawless smile right at him through the glass, Sid has to plaster on what he hopes is a matching expression so that he won’t know just how furious and upset Sidney really is.

 _Kaner_.


End file.
